Improved fibe-peoof felt foe eoofotj and othee pueposes



i l i 1 gnite): rates strut I ."g fl IMPROVED FIRE-PROOF FELT FOR ROOFING AND OTHER PURPOSES.

MOSES A..J.oHNsON, or LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS} Lettea -slatent No. 60,381, dated Deeemlier 11, 1866.

.TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, M. A. JQHN SON, of Lowelhin the county of Middlesex, and State of Massachusetts, have inventerla new and useful article of manufacture in Fire-Proof or'Salamander Felt,for;covering boilers, roofs, floors, or any.other purpose, svherc such matri'al'can beused; and I do hereby declare the following to A be a full, clear, and exact description of the same. i i i Letters Patent of the United States have heretofore-Jim on the 25th March, 1863-been granted ;to me for an improvement in covering for steam boilers, which was composed of afelteover'ed or saturatedwith silicate of soda or soluble glass, to prevent it from charring' or acting as a conductor of heat I My present invention relates to a. fire-proof felt that is applicable to other useful purposes, as, for instance, I roofing, and consists in covering a'felted fabric, (by preference of hair,) on oneor' both ofits sides, withpaper, and .with silicate of soda 'or solubleglass, of any suitable thickness, and painted or otherwise madewatenproof. I To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe how the same i may becarried out in practice. a

The felt having been prepared in any of the usual Well-known ways, and of suitable thickness, the silicate of soda may be laid on to one or both of its sides, and before it -is dry or set, paper is laidon, and made? a part of the fabric or article of manufacture, the silicate serving as a cement or union between the felt'and paper; Or the coating of silicate may be laid-on the paper, and the paper laid on to the felt, or both fabrics may be. coated or saturated with the silicate before they are laid together. There-areseveral advantagesin'a fabric of this kind, viz: of felt and paper cemented together by silicate of' soda; firshthefelt can be made lighter and l thinner; second, the paper is a very great protection to the silicate coating, in' packing, baling, or transporta- 1 'tiorr, inasmuch as it prevents the silicate from cracking and falling oifby handlihg; it also prevents the felt I from becoming so very dry as to make the silicate coating crack 'so. readily, the paper covering; retaining the H moisture in the fabric; and third, the silicate of soda serves the doubleipurpose' ofpreventing the feltfrom; charring when in contact with heated surfaces, and of a cement for firmly uniting the felt and paper together, and rendering the paper a very great resistant of .heat. Though I prefer, as a matter of economy, to make the i I I I silicate act as the cement for uniting the felt and paper, yet the cementing or joining of the two fabrics together 1 II may be donebya separate cement, aftervone or both of them have been coated or saturated with the silicate, and thusan apparent evasion of. the invention made. It is obvious that su'chamanufacturedarticle would come within the scope of my invention.

I have thus far describedonly the felt, papenand the silicate as composing thearticle ofmanufacturel I, propose, however, to use the article for roofing, or where it would be eirposedto the weather, and for that reason 1 be rendered water-proof and when thus used or exposed I propose to paint, one orboth of I thepaper surfaces. with anyof the usual well-known paints or water-proof compositions, and thus make it a'desirable articlefor i roofing and other similar purposes. But Ird'onot limit the use of the article to anyspecial purpose, and mean I I to claim it whether the paper be water-proofed by paint or not;

I Having, thus fully described my invention, what I claim as-a new'articlc of manufacture, and desire to." l I secure by Letters'Patent, is- V I i I i 1 'A felted fabric of hair or other material, covered on one or both of its sides with paper, and with silicate 1 of soda or soluble glass, and whetherpainted or other-wise rendered water-proof or not, as herein describedi l v MOSES A. JOHNSON. Witnesses: i

Etienne S. MUZZEY,I JERo'Mn J. BARKER. 

